Nigeria: Oyinyola to INEC - Don't Recognise Any Letter Not Signed By Me - Oyinlola

Yesterday, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was reinstated by the courts as the National Secretary, wrote INEC asking it not to recognise any correspondence from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, not signed by him. Hours after his letter arrived INEC, the mainstream PDP led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur also wrote INEC, informing it of the suspension of Oyinlola from the party. In the letter delivered yesterday evening at INEC headquarters, Tukur also informed the electoral body of the suspension of senior officials of the dissident nPDP, among who were Alhaji Abubakar Baraje and Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, respectively, of the dissident faction of the party. Meanwhile, Senator Bukola Saraki, one of the leading lights in the nPDP, yesterday, described the suspension of the officials of the nPDP from the party as a setback for the ruling party. Saraki revealed that the G-7 governors were still waiting for a response to a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan from Governor Babangida Aliyu, giving notice of their readiness to resume peace talks. The communication war in Abuja was opened, yesterday, with a letter by Oyinlola to INEC asking the electoral body not to recognise any letter to it from the PDP not signed by him. Besides writing INEC, Oyinlola also wrote his colleagues in the National Working Committee, NWC, to respect his authority as the chief administrative and accounting officer of the party based on last Wednesday's court judgment which confirmed him as national secretary. In the letter to INEC chairman, personally signed by Oyinlola and dated November 12, Oyinlola insisted that he remains the authentic national secretary of the party on account of the Appeal Court judgment which set aside the earlier judgment of Justice Abdul Kafarati which had in January 11 removed him, adding that the Court of Appeal, Abuja, is a superior court of competence jurisdiction.

Oyinlola's letter In the letter entitled Notification of Re-Instatement As National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oyinlola wrote: "As you may be aware, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division has nullified the January 11, 2013 judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which removed me from office as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. "The directive of the court was implemented by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which consequently struck out my name off its register and other documents, as the National Secretary of PDP. "Following the nullification of the above stated judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Abdul Kafarati by the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which is a superior court of competent jurisdiction, which also ruled that I was wrongfully removed from office, this correspondence serves to inform you of my decision to continue to perform my duties as the validly elected National Secretary of PDP. "Your records would reveal that I was validly elected into office as National Secretary at the national convention of PDP held on Saturday March 24, 2012.